This invention is in the field of body-treating compositions, especially live hair and scalp-treating compositions. More particularly, the invention is directed to non-therapeutic products and processes for stimulating the scalp, enriching the hair, and producing an attractive coiffure.

It is well known that hair is degraded by a number of environmental factors, such as sunlight and temperature extremes, factors which tend to dehydrate the hair, make it brittle, and cause the hair shafts to split or break. In addition, the hair may be degraded by waving it, bleaching or dyeing it, and also by abrading it while combing, toweling, etc. The resultant degradation manifests itself in disruption of the protective cuticle of the hair shafts, exposing the more vulnerable cortex. The observable result is dull, lifeless hair, lacking natural lubricity and luster, hair which is difficult to comb and style appealingly. Furthermore, the same factors which affect the hair shafts may also affect the scalp in such a way that growth of new hair is retarded.

The aforesaid problems are not new, and a number of cosmetic preparation, such as rinses, tonics, and hair conditioners in the form of aqueous or alcoholic solutions, or heterogeneous lotions and creams, have appeared over the years in attempts to alleviate the effects of such degradation. A number of such products are described, for example, in "Cosmetics - Science and Technology," 2nd Ed., Vol. 2, John Wiley & Sons, New York, NY, 1972, esp. pp. 345-352.

In general, the hair conditioners described in the past incorporate materials which are substantive to the hair or coat of hair shafts with a protective film; that is materials which are sorbed onto or into the hair shafts and are not washed out easily, but which have a more or less long-lasting effect. Once so sorbed, these materials restore lubricity to the hair and increase the diameter of the shafts, making the hair appear fuller, bulkier and easier to manage.

For example, U.S. 4,567,039 discloses a hair conditioning composition which incorporates an organosilicon quaternary ammonium halide which, in alkali, is shown to substantive to the hair in that it cannot be washed off the hair readily. However, the organosilicon compound is unstable in alkaline solution, so the composition has a short shelf life and must be constituted just prior to use.

U.S. 4,584,191 describes hair/skin care compositions containing lower alkyl esters of biotin, vitamin H. These esters are said to be sorbed by the hair and skin more effectively than biotin itself and then converted into biotin in vivo. Biotin is known to be a growth factor present in minute amounts in every living cell.

Hair conditioner formulations containing a prescribed ratio of d-pantheol and d-panthenyl ethyl ether are disclosed in U.S. 4,705,681. Such formulations, when applied to hair, are said to decrease the friction between individual shafts and thereby lessen the abrasion damage when the hair is combed or brushed.

Whereas the hair treatment and conditioning compositions of the prior art are directed to ameliorating the damage done to hair by the environmental and other factors mentioned above, there is a need for new and more effective hair enrichment agents, especially hair enrichment compositions which address the damage caused by the aforesaid factors, not only to the hair shafts, but also to the scalp.

This invention provides a hair enrichment composition which includes cosmetically effective amounts of a hair-sorbable bulking agent, a blood vessel dilator, and a scalp stimulant, all contained in a cosmetically acceptable carrier. In preferred embodiments, the bulking agent includes both hair-absorbable and hair adsorbable components. The blood vessel dilator may incorporate a rubefacient, and the scalp stimulant preferably includes an antipruritic agent. This invention also includes a method for using the new composition in a manner which optimizes its effectiveness.

The hair enrichment compositions of this invention incorporate a bulking agent. The bulking agent is sorbable onto or into the shafts of the hair, moderates the damage environmental or other factors may have caused, and increases the diameter of the hair shafts. The bulking agent remains with the hair a reasonable length of time to minimize future damage. The bulking agent may comprise materials set forth in the prior art, such as biotin or an ester thereof, pantheol, or a panthenyl ether, or mixtures thereof. It is preferred that the bulking agent include both hair-­absorbable and hair-adsorbable components. The former may be viewed as shaft repair elements, the latter as shaft protective elements. Certain of the preferred bulking agents are believed to function in both roles, however. The bulking agent will comprise a cosmetically effective amount, generally about 0.005 to about 15 percent by weight of the composition.

Although a number of substantive agents believed to be hair-absorbable are known, it is especially preferred that the hair-adsorbable bulking agent include some or all of biotin, panthenol, glycoprotein, and mucopolysaccharide. Biotin and panthenol are known to be useful for this purpose. The glycoprotein, containing amino acid residues bound to oligosaccharides, promotes soft, flexible, moisture-­retentive films that increase the hair's gloss and the hair shaft diameter. The mucopolysaccharide is a very effective emollient. These components individually may be present in cosmetically effective amounts ranging from about 0.0005 to about 5 percent by weight of the composition. A useful combination includes panthenol, biotin and mucopolysaccharide, about 0.25-15 percent by weight in the aggregate being especially useful.

The hair-absorbable component of the bulking agent is advantageously a cosmetically acceptable film-forming polymer or mixture thereon. Such materials include, for example, polyvinylpyrrolidone and copolymers or derivatives thereof; for example, copolymers with the ethyl or butyl ester of PVA/MA (partially neutralized), copolymers with vinyl acetate/crotonic acid, copolymers of PVP/VA in all proportions, polyquaternium-11, and copolymers with ethyl methylacrylate/oleyl methacrylate/­diethylaminoethyl methacrylate quaternized with dimethyl sulfate, as well as carboxyvinylpolymers, such as hydroxyethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, and guar gum, xanthan gum, tragacanth gum, and other natural viscosity boosters. In addition to its film-forming protective and hair bulking functions, a carboxyvinyl polymer can also be utilized to control the viscosity of the composition through pH adjustments, for example, amines and ammonium hydroxide are useful for pH adjustment.

In addition, various film-modifying agents may be present. These include, for example, various protein-derived materials such as adenosine triphosphate and protein hydrolysates, i.e., keratin, silk, elastin, and collagen, as well as polypeptides, amino acid mixtures, or a condensation reaction product of hydrolyzed animal protein. The hair-absorbable component of the bulking agent may be present in the composition in cosmetically effective amounts, about 0.003 to about 15 percent by weight, each individual element being employed at about 0.001 to about 5% by weight.

In addition to a hair-sorbable bulking agent, the hair enrichment compositions of this invention include a blood vessel dilator. In this regard, a number of substances with known rubefacient efficacy can be employed. These include, for example, chloral hydrate, formic acid spirits, quinine and its salts, tincture of cantharides, tincture of capsicum, tincture of cinchona, as well as cade, pine, and birch tars. It is preferred, however, that the dilator incorporate a derivative of nicotinic acid, preferably an ester, such as a lower alkyl, e.g, methyl or ethyl, nicotinate. An especially useful dilator is vitamin E nicotinate. The dilator will be present in the composition in a cosmetically effective amount in the range of about 0.001 to about 5 percent by weight.

Finally, the hair enrichment compositions should include a scalp stimulant. Such stimulants include cosmetically acceptable alcohols, such as ethanol, isopropanol, and combinations thereof. Suitable stimulants also include antipruritic agents. Such agents may provide a cooling sensation, like methanol, or a warming sensation, like camphor, for example. It is preferred that both be present in the composition. The scalp stimulant agent will constitute a cosmetically effective amount, generally about 0.002 to about 10 percent by weight of the composition.

The hair enrichment compositions of this invention also include a cosmetically acceptable carrier for the ingredients described above. Although either water or mixtures of water with lower alkyl alcohols may be utilized, it is preferred that the composition not include the alcohol. Various surface-active agents, fragrances and preservatives may also be present in the carrier.

Having described the hair enrichment compositions of this invention in general, the following specific example will clarify the nature of the compositions. EXAMPLE Ingredient Parts by Weight Panthenol 0.1 Biotin 0.0005 Glycoprotein 0.1 Mucopolysaccharide 0.01 Carboxyvinyl polymer 0.05 Ammonium hydroxide (28%) 0.014 Polyvinylpyrrolidone 0.125 Adenosine triphosphate 0.01 Vitamin E nicotinate 0.01 Camphor 0.1 Menthol 0.1 Nonoxynol-12 0.2 Dimethylhydantoin 0.4 Water q.s. 100.0

All of the aforesaid ingredients are available commercially. The glycoprotein is Glyprosol 20, available from Brooks Industries, Inc. South Plainfield, New Jersey. The carboxyvinyl polymer is a Carbopol (registered trademark of BF Goodrich Co.) resin, Type 941. The polyvinyl pyrrolidone is available from BASF or GAF, for example, in various molecular weights, the higher molecular weights, e.g., 10⁶ being preferred.

In preparing the exemplified composition, it is preferable to dissolve the panthenol, PVP and water separately and then add that solution to the other ingredients prior to adding the dimethylhydantoin and mixing until uniform.

The hair enrichment compositions of this invention are used by applying to the freshly washed head in an amount of the composition sufficient to enrich the hair and scalp (e.g., about 1/30 to about 1/4 oz. of the exemplified composition), and then massaging the composition into the scalp for a period of time sufficient to cause such enrichment (e.g., about 60 sec. for the exemplified composition), rinsing the hair with plain water, and then drying it.